RELICS OF SAINT MARINA

Saint Marina, also known as Marina the Monk or Marina of Bithynia (c. 725–750), was born in Bithynia (present-day Turkey) to Christian parents. After losing her mother at a young age, she followed her father, Eugenius, to a male monastery in Lebanon, disguising herself as a monk and taking the name Marinus. She was unjustly accused of impregnating an innkeeper’s daughter. In order not to reveal her secret, she accepted expulsion without defending herself, raised the child in poverty, and, after years of humble service outside the monastery, was eventually readmitted to the community.

Upon her death, the monks discovered that she was a woman and recognized her holiness for the extraordinary humility and patience she had shown. Her relics were transferred to Venice in the 13th century and are venerated in the Church of Santa Maria Formosa, where her body is preserved. She is invoked against slander and for family difficulties.

In Castel Colonna, Saint Marina is the patron saint of the parish. A chapel dedicated to her is located within the Church of San Mauro Abbot, housing a plaster statue depicting the saint in monastic habit holding a lily, as well as a reliquary containing a fragment of her skin. This relic was donated by the Patriarchate of Venice in 2016 on the occasion of the church’s restoration.